Sundance 2013: Fox Searchlight Buys 'The Way, Way Back'

Fox Searclight has acquired the Steve Carell comedy The Way, Way Back, according to sources.

From directors and screenwriters Nat Faxon and Jim Rash (who penned the Academy Award-winning screenplay for The Descendants), the film follows introverted 14-year-old Duncan who comes into his own over the course of a summer where he forms unlikely friendships with the manager of a rundown water park and the misfits working there.

The film also stars Toni Collette, Allison Janney, Sam Rockwell, Maya Rudolph and Liam James as Duncan.

The Way, Way Back premiered at Eccles Theatre on Jan. 21 as part of Sundance's Premieres category. Fevered bidding for rights to the film began in earnest shortly after the screening, according to sources.

The THR review of the film praised Rockwell's performance as perhaps "the most winning performance" of his career and called the movie "a charmer."

The Tuesday morning deal for The Way, Way Back, caps an electric 24-hour period in Park City, during which several high-profile narrative films were sold. On Monday, distributors cut deals for Don Jon's Addiction, Austenland, Concussion and Fruitvale.